Blender



C. M. TROST BLENDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 21, 1958 INVENTOR.

COA/PAD M. T8057 Z] I A Tram/22% Oct. 10, 1961 c. M. TROST 3,003,751

BLENDER Filed April 21, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOPNEV United StatesPatent 3,003,751 BLENDER Conrad M. Trost, 334 Newbold Ave., Moorestown,NJ. Filed Apr. 21, 1958, Ser. No. 729,787 3 Claims. (Cl. 259-4) Thisapplication refers to apparatus for the continuous blending ofmaterials, at least one of which is dry and pulverulent.

The blending or other intermixing of two or more materials, at least oneof which is dry and pulverulent, has been carried out for centuries by amultitude of different operations, all of which, insofar as I am aware,have been limited to batch procedures. That is, a preselected quantityof a pulverulent material is placed in a receptacle with a preselectedquantity of one or more other materials after which the entire mass isthen agitated in one of many ways. This procedure may be satisfactoryfor small operations and for specialized industrial processes where onlylimited quantities of the product are needed at one time. However, inlarger scale activities, the batch procedures tend to produce variationsin the final product and, at best, create serious control and handlingproblems, all of which increase the cost and reduce the acceptability ofthe final product. These problems are particularly acute where one ormore of the materials is moist or sticky. Thus, there has long been apressing need for a method of blending, and an apparatus for carryingout said method, whereby two or more materials, at least one of which isa dry material, can be continuously and uniformly blended, saidapparatus having a minimum of moving parts, being small and inexpensiveand, when set, being able to operate efiectively and accurately over anextended period of time without other or further attention.

Accordingly, a principal object of the invention is to provide anapparatus for continuously intermixing two or more materials of which atleast one is primarily dry and pulverulent.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus, asaforesaid, the operation of which requires no moving parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus, asaforesaid, which is extremely simple in its construction and, therefore,can be made very inexpensively, particularly in view of the ease of itsoperation and the accuracy and magnitude of its output.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus, asaforesaid, which is not only capable of blending a variety of difierentmaterials, at least one of which is primarily dry and pulverulent innature, but is also adaptable for surface coating a substantially solidpulverulent material with a liquid material and for intermixingmaterials to effect a chemical reaction therebetween.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to personsacquainted with apparatus of this general type upon reading thefollowing disclosure and inspecting the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a blending apparatus embodying theinvention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line IIII in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line IIL-III in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is partially a plan and partially a central cross-sectionalview of a modified blending apparatus.

For convenience in description, the terms upper, lower and derivativesthereof will have reference to the structure described herein in onenormal position of operation, namely, that appearing in FIGURE 1. The

terms inner, outer and derivatives thereof will have Patented Oct. 10,1961 reference to the geometric center of the blending apparatus of theinvention and parts associated therewith.

General description The apparatus selected to illustrate apparatusaspects of the invention comprises a generally cylindrical chamberhaving feeding means at one end of said chamber, and having at the otherend a plurality of fluid openings arranged in a pattern which ispreferably a coaxial circle of relatively large diameter. An outlet pipecommunicates with said cylindrical chamber closely adjacent said lastnamed end thereof. A hopper introduces the material into at least onestream of pressure fluid to provide a materials-laden stream which ispreferably directed substantially coaxially into said chamber throughsaid feeding means. Pressure fluid is forced inwardly through said fluidopenings in the other end of said chamber so that they enter saidchamber in substantially parallel streams surrounding thematerials-laden stream. This arrangement, in combination with theparticular shape of the chamber and control of the fluid pressureseffects a thorough circulation of the streams within said chamber and athorough blending of said material before it passes through the outletinto a suitable collector.

It will be recognized as the description proceeds that the materialentering the feed opening may be a single material or it may be acombination of one dry pulver ulent material with at least one othermaterial, which may be dry, tacky, moist or otherwise. Furthermore,materials may under some circumstances be entrained with the streamsentering through the other end of the mixing chamber.

Detailed construction The blending apparatus 8 (FIGURES 1 and 2), whichhas been selected to illustrate apparatus of the invention, is intendedto blend 2. single solid material with one or two fluid materials, butits principles, when understood, can be readily modified to meet otherspecific situations. It includes an elongated hollow casing 9 which maybe comprised of two substantially identical and semi-cylindrical shells10 and 10a. Each of said shells has a pair of radially projectingflanges 11 and 11a, which extend lengthwise of said shells adjacent totheir edges. The flanges, hence the shells, are held together by thebolts 12 to form said casing 9. A pair of removable end walls 13 and 14are held within the opposite ends of said casing by means such as theset screws 16 and 17. The end wall 14 has a coaxial threaded opening 18into which an inlet pipe 19 is threadedly received, said inlet pipebeing connectible to a source, not shown, of pressure fluid such ascompressed air. The end wall 13 has a coaxial conical bore 21 whichconverges from an inner diameter substantially identical with theinternal diameter of the cylindrical casing 9, to a relatively smalldiameter at the outer end thereof.

A relatively thick, transverse partition 22 is held by means of pins 25within the cylindrical casing 9 near to but spaced from the end wall 14.The partition 22 combines with the end wall 14 and a portion of thecylindrical casing 9 to provide a plenum chamber 23. Said partition alsocombines with the remainder of the cylindrical casing 9 and the conicalbore 21 in the end wall 13 to define a mixing chamber 24. Meansincluding the pipe 26 provides an outlet passage 27 from the mixingchamber 24 near to the partition 22. A threaded opening 28 through thewall of the casing 9 communicates with the plenum chamber 23. Anexternally threaded sealing ring 31, having a coaxial opening 30 forsnug reception of a temperature indicating device 29, as the temperaturesensitive elements of a thermocouple, is threadedly received into saidthreaded opening 28, whereby said elements extend into said plenumchamber 23'. In this particular embodiment, said sealing ring 31 isflanged at its outer end.

7 The. partition 22 has a plurality of preferably parallel passageways32 (FIGURES 2 and 3) which, in this particular embodiment, are arrangedin a circle substantially coaxial with the casing 9. The diameter of thecircle defined by the passageways 32 is sufficiently large that thestreams of pressure fluid created by such passageways impinge upon theconical surface of the bore 21 in the end wall 13 near the rightward endthereof and are thereby deflected toward the central axis of the casing9.

The end wall 13 has a coaxial extension 36 which has a coaxial centralopening 37 preferably having the same diameter as the adjacent minimumdiameter of the conical 'bore 21. A cylindrical connector pipe 38 hasone end slidably receivable into the opening 37 in the cylindricalextension 36 Where it is releasably held by any convenient means, suchas a set screw 39.

The materials feed assembly 41 includes in this embodiment a supporttube 42 which is slidably supported upon the connector pipe 38 andreleasably secured thereto by convenient means such as the set screw 43.The connector pipe 38 may have its inner bore 44 divergently beveled atboth ends thereof in order to efiect a minimum of obstruction to thepassage of materials and fluid therethrough.

The support tube 42 has a substantially semi-cylindrical opening 46through its sidewall for communication with the lower end of the hopper47 which hopper is here shown for convenience in illustration withoutany agitator or feeder appearing in the discharge opening thereof. Apressure fluid pipe 48 extends into the tube 42 and has a nozzle 49pointing toward the chamber 24 and disposed directly below the opening46, hence the hopper 47. Said nozzle 49 is, however, spaced from theadjacent end of the connector pipe 38, which is flush with the innerwall 51 of the hopper 47. Accordingly, materials within the hopper 47can drop down into the support tube 42 between the nozzle 49 and theadjacent end of the connector pipe 38 for entrainment with pressurefluid discharged from the nozzle 49 and subsequent movement through theconnector pipe 38 into the mixing chamber 24. A suitable collector 52,shown in broken lines in FIGURE 3, may be mounted upon the outlet pipe26 as desired. Here a bag is shown fastened to the outlet pipe 26 bymeans of a flexible resilient ring 53.

Operation Solid, pulverulent material is fed into the hopper 47 inpreselected continuous quantities at predeterrninable rates by meanssuch as a conventional conveyor, not shown. Pressure fluid, from asource or sources not shown, is connected to the pipes 48 and 19, saidfluid being the same at both pipes 48 and 19 if the solid material is tobe blended with only one fluid or if two fluids are involved they can beconnected, respectively at 48 and 19. The pressure fluid in the pipe 48discharges through the nozzle 49 into the material disposed in thebottom of the hopper47 and the adjacent portion of the support tube 42,thereby progressively entraining such material and moving it through theconnector pipe 38 into themixing chamber 24 in a stream which movessubstantially'along thev central axis of said mixing chamher. Forreasons well-known in the art of fluid-handling devices, thematerials-laden stream, indicated by the broken lines 55 in FIGURE 2,will tend to diverge as it moves through said mixing chamber 24. V

The pressurefluid in the inlet pipe 19 flows into the plenum chamber 23and thence through the fluid passage- Ways32 in the partition 22,thereby forming jet streams,

such as that indicated in broken lines at 56 in FIGURE 2.

In the absence of interference, the major part of each jet laden stream55. However, when the jet streams strike the bore 21, they are deflectedinto the materials-laden stream, thereby diverting portions of saidmaterials-laden streams into the path of the oncoming jet streams. Thispattern of deflections and resulting interferences compounds itselfinfinitely within the mixing chamber 24 to produce a turbulentcontinuous blending action. Both streams of fluid are, however, for apure blending action held to a sufliciently low velocity that noimpingement of the particles between each other can take place,particularly of such magnitude as to effect appreciable abrasion orshattering. The pressure fluid within the mixing chamber 24 and thesolid material blended therewith then passes through the outletpassageway 27 into any convenient collecting device 52 and the flow ofthe materials from the central part of the chamber past thestreams'entering from openings 32 will further agitate and mix thematerials. As long as solid material is available in the hopper 47, thenozzle 49 continue to entrain it and move it into the mixing chamber 24where it will be blended with the fluids in the manner set forthhereinabove.

After the blending operation has been completed, the blending apparatus8 can be easily disassembled and cleaned by removing the set screws 16,17, 39 and 43. If a more thorough cleaning is desirable, the bolts 12can be removed thereby permitting separation of the semi-cylindricalshells 10 and 10a and the removal of the partition 22.

Modified structure FIGURE 4 illustrates a modified blending apparatus 60wherein a plurality, here three, of solid pulverulent materials are tobe blended with each other. The pressure fluids involved may be merelyconveying and agitating agencies or one or more of them may also beblended into the final product. In this embodiment, the three feedassemblies 61, 62 and 63 are utilized for directing solid materials intothe mixing chamber 64. Each of the feed assemblies 61, 62 and 63 may besubstantially identical in structure and function to the'feed assembly41 described and disclosed hereinabove. The center feed assembly 62 isarranged to direct its materials-laden stream 66 of pressure fluidsubstantially along the central axis of the mixing chamber 64 insubstantially the same manner as does the feed assembly 41 of FIGURE 2.The feed assemblies 61 and 63* produce materials-laden streams 65 and67, respectively, which converge with the materials-laden stream 66 ofthe feed assembly 62 at a common point 68 in the chamber 64. Thisconvergence of the streams 65, 66 and 67 creates an initial turbulenceand blending which is compounded and intensified by the jet streams 69produced by the pressure fluid passageways 70 through the partitionmember 71. and yet without producing any appreciable abrading orgrinding action. The remainder of the construction and operation of themodified apparatus 60 may be substantially the same as that set forthhereinabove with respect to the apparatus 8 of FIGURES 1 and 2.

Where the entire final mixture is the desired product, the collector 52may be merely a receptacle, but where one or more of the pressure fluidsis functioning only as a. carrying or agitating agent, then thecollector will be any convenient device for separating the product fromthe fluid. For example, where such pressure fluid is gaseous, as steamor compressed air, the collector may be a cyclone or a porous bag.

While the apparatus of the present invention is intended primarily formixing and blending solid and/ or semi-solid materials, it is alsoadaptable for applying a liquid or plastic coating which is eitherpolymolecular or monomolecular, to the particles of a solid pulverulentmaterial and/ or for intermixing materials to effect a chemical reactiontherebetween. It will also be recognized that the references to drypulverulent materials and similar references may also include solidmaterials having other characteristics. For example, materials such asDDT, which are somewhat waxy in their nature, or materials which areslightly moist may also be handled by the apparatus of the presentinvention, providing only that the handling characteristics thereof areprimarily those of dry pulverulent solids.

The fluid passageways 32, which are in the lower part of the partition22 (FIGURE 3), are of larger diameter than the passageways near theupper part of the partition. This arrangement not only tends to preventthe solid materials from collecting in the bottom of the casing, butalso creates more turbulence in the mixing chamber 24.

Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have beendisclosed in detail hereinabove for illustrative purposes, modificationsor variations of such disclosure, which lie the scope of the appendedclaims, are fully contemplated.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for blending two or more materials, at least one ofwhich is pulverulent, comprising: a substantially horizontally disposedhousing defining an elongated mixing chamber at least part of which iscylindrical; a feed passageway communicating with said mixing chambercoaxially through one end thereof; nozzle means arranged coaxially withsaid feed passageway for directing a stream of pressure fluid throughsaid feed passageway into said mixing chamber substantially along thelengthwise axis thereof; a materials hopper communicating with said feedpassageway adjacent to said nozzle means, the materials in the lower endof said hopper being entrained by said pressure fluid stream andentering therewith into said chamber; means defining a plurality ofsubstantially parallel passageways communicating with said mixingchamber through the other end thereof, said passageways being arrangedsubstantially in a circle substantially coaxial with said mixingchamber; means for directing pressure fluid through said parallelpassageways; deflecting wall means extending at an angle to thelengthwise axis of said mixing chamber and sloping inwardly from a pointon the wall of said chamber intermediate the ends thereof toward saidfeed passageway; and an outlet passageway through the side wall of saidmixing chamber near the other end thereof, said chamber being closedexcept for said feed passageway, said outlet passageway and saidpressure fluid passageways so that the entirety of the materials andfluid admitted thereinto are removed through said outlet opening.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the cylindrical portion of saidmixing chamber is adjacent to said other end thereof and said deflectingwall means is a conical wall converging toward said feed passageway,whereby at least part of the pressure fluid entering said mixing chamberthrough said plurality of parallel passageways is impinged upon theconical wall and thereby directed toward the materials-laden stream.

3. The structure of claim 1 including a plurality of additional feedpassageways communicating with said mixing chamber through said one endthereof; nozzle means arranged coaxially .within each of said additionalfeed passageways for directing a stream of pressure fluid therethroughinto said mixing chamber, the streams of pressure fluid from all of saidfeed passageways converging at a point along the lengthwise axis of saidmixing chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,762,762 Cofley June 10, 1930 2,005,800 OBoyle l June 25, 19352,600,253 Lutz June 10, 1952 2,609,185 Eisner Sept. 2, 1952 2,658,847Macdonald Nov. 10, 1953 2,692,764 Hanson .l Oct. 26, 1954 FOREIGNPATENTS 663,974 France Apr. 16, 1929 666,515 Germany Oct. 21, 1938

